Systems And Methods for Generating Surveys

ABSTRACT

Embodiments introduced describe single-action surveys, wherein a survey requires a single action only, such as a click on a mouse, a touch, tap, or stroke on a touch screen. Each single action means selecting one specific survey answer and a survey session may end after a single action is taken. In addition, a survey may end automatically within a substantially short period of time in the absence of any action.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. Sec. 119 ofprovisional patent application Ser. No. 61/773,787, filed Mar. 6, 2013.This application is also related to patent application Ser. No.13/691,808, filed Dec. 2, 2012.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not applicable

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

Not applicable

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to generating surveys, more particularly togenerating quick and less intrusive surveys.

2. Description of Prior Art

Surveys on customer satisfaction are important for business. Surveys onsocial or political issues are important for the society and politics.Survey results benefit business owners, policy makers as well as thegeneral public. For example for a business, surveys may be used tomonitor customer service, improve product quality, detect defects,observe future trends, etc. Traditional surveys use a questionnaire thathas many questions on several pages. The questions are often long andtake time to comprehend. In addition, surveys often show up as anunwelcome surprise. Hence, no matter whether a questionnaire is on paperor on a screen, most people usually just shy away from it because, it isconsidered time consuming, burdensome and intrusive. In many cases, eventhe allure of raffle prize won't make people answer survey questions.

Therefore, there exists a need for a survey which is quick, easy, andless intrusive.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, several main objects and advantages of the presentinvention are:

-   -   a). to provide an improved system and method to generate or        conduct a survey;    -   b). to provide such a survey which is quick, simple, convenient,        and less intrusive;    -   c). to provide such a survey which requires only a single        action;    -   d). to provide such a survey where a single action includes        simple and easy moves, such as a click, touch, stroke, motion,        or sound; and    -   e). to provide such a survey which ends automatically and        quickly when no action is taken.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the drawings and ensuing description.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention, a survey is designed which mayneed a single action only. A survey session may begin within a givenperiod of time after a target event is completed. The survey may involvejust one action, such as a touch, a click, a slide, a motion, or asound. Each single action may provide a specific survey answer andconclude the survey in the meantime. A survey session may also beprolonged or postponed to a later time when a user chooses to do so. Ifno action is taken, the session may end automatically within asufficiently short period of time, making it less intrusive. The surveyprocess is brief, simple, convenient, and less troublesome compared tocompleting a traditional questionnaire. As a result, participation ofsuch surveys may be more likely than before.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a block diagram describing one embodiment in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing single-action survey of one embodimentin accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are illustrations of one embodiment in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are flow diagrams depicting surveys having single-actionfeatures in accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 7-A, 7-B, and 8 are illustrations of embodiments in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing single-action survey of one embodimentin accordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 are illustrations of three embodiments inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram showing single-action survey of one embodimentin accordance with the present invention.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS 10 Client System 12 Survey Database 14Communication Network 16 Processor 18 Processing Module 20 Log Database22 Computer Readable Medium 24 Message 26 Survey Subject 28 GraphicObject 30 Graphic Object 31 Message 32 Graphic Object 33 Graphic Button34 Survey Icon 35 Graphic Button 36 Display Surface 38 Area 40 CommentPad 42 Button 44 Button 46 Button 48 Display 50 Client System 52 Keypad54 Display Surface 56 Graphic Object 58 Graphic Object 60 Graphic Object62 Survey Icon 64 Survey Window 66 Client System 68 Client System 70Survey Window 72 Display Surface 74 Speaker 76 Microphone 78 ClientSystem 80 Client System 82 Server System 84 Hand 86 Check Mark 90Graphic Button 92 Graphic Button 93 Graphic Button 94 Graphic Button 95Graphic Button 96 Graphic Button 97 Graphic Button 98 Graphic Button100, 102, 104, 106, 107, 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, 117, 118, 120, 122,124, 128, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 144, 150, 152, 154, 156,158, 160, 162 are exemplary steps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is an exemplary block diagram of one embodiment according to thepresent invention. A client system 80 and server system 82 are connectedvia a communication network 14. Client 80 may represent an electronicdevice, including but not limited to a desktop computer, a handheldcomputer, a tablet computer, a wireless gadget (such as mobile phone,smartphone, smart watch, media player, personal digital assistant (PDA),and the like), digital television (DTV), internet protocol television(IPTV), play station, etc. Client 80 may include a processor 16 andcomputer readable medium 22. Processor 16 may mean one or more processorchips or systems. Medium 22 may include a memory hierarchy built by oneor more memory chips or storage modules like RAM, ROM, FLASH, magnetic,optical and/or thermal storage devices. Processor 16 may run programs orsets of executable instructions stored in medium 22 for performingvarious functions and tasks, e.g., playing video or music, sendingmessages, surfing on the Internet, electronic payment, single-actionsurvey, games, etc. Client 80 may also include input, output, andcommunication components, which may be individual modules or integratedwith processor 16. Usually, client 80 has a display with a graphicaluser interface (GUI). The display surface may also be sensitive totouches, especially in the case of tablet computer, smart phone, andsmart watch. Client 80 may also have a voice recognition component toreceive audio input from a user.

The word “server” means a system or systems which may have similarfunctions and capacities as one or more servers. Main components ofserver may include one or more processors, which control and processdata and information by executing software, logic, code, or carrying outany other suitable functions. A server, as a computing device, mayinclude any hardware, firmware, software, or a combination. In the mostcompact form, a server may be built on a single processor chip. In thefigure, server 82 may represent one or more server entities thatcollect, process, maintain, and/or manage survey information anddocuments, help conduct surveys, communicate with users, deliverinformation required by users, etc. Server 82 may exemplarily be dividedinto three blocks, represented by a processing module 18, a log database20, and a survey database 12. Processing module 18 may includeprocessing and communication functions. Log database 20 may store userID information and survey ID information, which may be used to trace asurvey result a user provided. Survey database 12 may store surveyresults and other survey related information, such as backgroundinformation on the survey event. The databases may includeaforementioned memory chips and/or storage modules.

A communication network 14 may cover a range of entities such as theInternet or the World Wide Web, a local area network (LAN), a wide areanetwork (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a telephone network,an intranet, wireless, and other types of networks. Client 80 and server82 may be connected to network 14 by various wired, wireless, optical,or other connections.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram showing one embodiment ofsingle-action survey according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is anexemplary diagram of a client system 10 that may be used to illustratethe flow diagram of FIG. 2. Client 10 has a display surface 36, wheremessages and graphic objects or icons may be presented. Graphic objectsmay represent documents, applications, and functions, e.g., a textualfile, photo album, browser, email, music, etc. Display surface 36 isalso a GUI by which a user may interact with the client system and/or aremote server. Surface 36 may be a touch screen or touchscreen, which issensitive to a touch or touches. A graphic object on the GUI of a touchscreen may be selected or activated by a click on a mouse or moreconveniently, by a touch or tap of finger tip.

Returning to FIG. 2. Step 100 represents the end of a target event. Theevent may be business-related transaction on line or in a retail store,or a process related to other activities. Examples of event includeonline shopping, in-store shopping, dining, service, gaming, show,sport, community meeting, political gathering, and so on. Next in Step102, a survey window shows up, which may be depicted exemplarily by FIG.3. The view on surface 36 of FIG. 3 may be considered as a surveywindow, where a title says “Single-Action Survey” and a graphic object26 indicates the survey subject is “Satisfied?”. In practice, the titlemay be rewritten as “Survey on Fast Burger” if assuming a user just madea purchase at eatery Fast Burger. Below object 26, there are objects 28,30, and 32, corresponding to “Yes” (satisfied), “No” (not satisfied),and “So-So” (average) respectively. The three objects represent threeanswers for a single-action survey and are used to illustrate surveyprocess for various embodiments to be discussed. Besides the threeanswer format, other forms may be arranged as well. For example toachieve enhanced precision, five answers may be used which may be verygood, good, average, bad, and very bad. And there may be seven-answerconfiguration, too. However, an answer selection process would be moreacceptable if it is simple, easy, and straightforward, which is also theessence of single-action survey. In Step 104 “Single-Action Voting”, auser may choose to participate or not to participate in a survey. Whenparticipating in a survey, a user may start a survey right away in Step152 or choose to wait for some time in Step 150. When doing Step 152, auser may select one from the three answers, i.e., voting among objects28, 30, and 32. Selecting an object may be implemented by a click on itusing a mouse or a direct touch or tap on it on surface 36 if thesurface is touch sensitive. The single-action survey is designed suchthat selecting any one of objects 28, 30, and 32 results in Step 106,closure of the survey window and ending of the survey. If a user doesn'twant to take the survey, he or she may select a “Close” button 33 on theGUI or surface 36 to reach Step 106. Alternatively, if a user doesn'tselect any object within a sufficiently short period of time, it may bedeemed “not participating” and the survey window and survey session willbe closed automatically. Finally, Step 107 may show an interface beforethe survey or other predetermined contents on surface 36.

The above described survey requires only one action, i.e., a click, atouch, or other single actions as discussed in the above and below, orno action. The whole survey process is simple, swift, easy, and lessintrusive, and thus more likely to be accepted by users than atraditional survey. For example, when a user purchases a cup of coffeeat a coffee shop, a smartphone may be used to pay for it in anelectronic payment process. The transaction may be concluded after theuser waves the smartphone in front of a cash register. Then a surveywindow may appear on the smartphone's touch screen or GUI. The user maygive a quick touch on the screen, maybe costing one or two seconds.After that, the survey ends, the survey window closes automatically, andthe smartphone screen may return to its previous GUI.

Therefore compared to a traditional questionnaire-type survey, asingle-action survey is more convenient, takes less time, and thus maybe more acceptable by average people. Although single-action surveyshave a simple output, for a shop manager, the survey results may stillyield important information about product quality and customer service.

Back to FIG. 1, a single-action survey may be executed by processor 16.The launch of survey may be triggered by a monitoring program of theclient system that receives the information of event completion, or byinstructions sent by an organization which conducts or oversees theevent, or a third party which is informed of the event status. The thirdparty may be a local device or a remote system. It is noted that aclient system may or may not be involved in a target event. For example,a smartphone may be used for electronic payment and then for a surveyafter the payment is made. On the other hand, when a credit card is usedfor payment, and a smartphone is registered with the credit card, thesmartphone may receive instructions to start a survey too. Surveyrelated information, including case ID, user ID, survey results, anyuser input, and event info, may be sent to server 82 by processor 16 vianetwork 14. Server 82 may, for instance, store case ID, survey results,user input, and event info in survey database 12, and keep user ID andcase ID in log database 20. Alternatively, survey related informationmay be transmitted to a local device which in turn may relay theinformation to a remote server. Additionally, processor 16 may sendsurvey related information to a local device which may pass it to alocal database. For instance, a shop owner may want to keep a copy ofsurvey data collected from customers, and conduct own customer researchand analysis.

The wait stage in Step 150 may be initiated by clicking or tapping a“Wait” button 90 on surface 36 and may last for some time which may beset up by a user. For instance, after a user makes a payment at a store,the user may have to wait for his order (such as waiting in line for aburger or drink), or may have hands full, thus the user may want todelay a survey until a shopping process is concluded or when it's moreconvenient to do so. There is also a “Shrink” button 92 located betweenbuttons 90 and 33. Clicking or tapping button 92 causes shrinkage ofsurvey window and suspension of survey process, which may turn thewindow into a small graphic icon or send the session to an alert list.The suspended process may be resumed when being activated throughclicking or tapping the shrunk icon or a corresponding item on the alertlist.

The single-action survey window of FIG. 3 may also contain otherfunctions on the GUI. For example, there may be a message 31 assuringusers the survey window will close by itself shortly, say in tenseconds. In order to reduce intrusiveness, the window should be closedautomatically when a user is busy with other things or ignores thesurvey. And the window should be closed quickly, such as within a periodfrom a couple of seconds to a minute. Although most people would like todo single-action survey, there are some people who nonetheless want tospend time to provide more information regarding customer experience andfeeling. Thus, the GUI or surface 36 may also include a “Regular Survey”object 34 to provide an opportunity for users to take a regular ortraditional survey that has multiple questions. Once object 34 isselected, a window of regular survey may show up on the GUI, signaling anew session.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of regular survey in accordancewith the present invention. The GUI in FIG. 4 may be generated after auser chooses to take a regular survey by clicking or tapping graphicobject or button 34 of FIG. 3. Below a “Thank You” message 24, there isan area 38 containing multiple exemplary questions, such as opinions onsatisfaction, service, quality, price, etc. More questions and/or morepages may be arranged for a regular survey. At the bottom of the GUI, acomment pad 40 may be provided for users to express more on theirexperience by writing essays or any comments. Once pad 40 is clicked, aworkspace may be generated, where a user may leave comments,suggestions, or wishes. The workspace is not shown in FIG. 4 for brevityreasons.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow diagram of one embodiment having bothsingle-action and regular survey options. It starts with Step 108, theend of an event. Next a single-action survey window shows up in Step110. A user can choose whether or not to participate in a survey in Step112. If the answer is no, the user may use a single click or single tapto close the survey window (e.g., selecting a “Close” button), or ignorethe survey by doing nothing, which prompts step 117, closure of thesurvey window. If the user wants to take the survey, he or she mayeither take Step 154 to wait for a certain period of time, or go to asurvey session directly. In the latter case, he or she may make anotherdecision in Step 114. If a single-action survey is preferred, onequestion is asked. Answering the single question leads to Step 117,closing the survey window. On the other hand, a user may also choose aregular survey and enter Step 116, where multiple questions arepresented, as well as a platform for taking user comments, which isfollowed by window closing step 117. Finally in Step 118, the GUI mayresume its original state or start a new session. Back to step 154, oncea waiting period comes to an end, either automatically or initiated byuser, the user may start from Step 114 and proceed to reach Step 118 asdiscussed before. The length of wait time may be selected or arranged byuser. A wait process may be interrupted by a user at any time. Duringwait time, a survey window may stay or be closed temporarily, dependingon design and arrangements.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic flow diagram of another embodiment inaccordance with the present invention. Like the flow diagram of FIG. 5,the process begins with the end of an event in Step 120. Next, a surveywindow opens (not shown in the figure for simplicity reasons). If a userdoesn't want to take part in the survey in Step 122, the window closeswith a single action or no action, and the GUI returns to its previoussetting in Step 130. If a user participates in the survey, two optionsare presented: To proceed with the flow or to wait for a while. In theformer situation, a single-action voting may take place in Step 124, andthe original GUI resumes in Step 130 after the survey window closes.Additionally, a user may choose to pass the single-action voting, and goto a regular survey session in Step 128, where the user may answerquestions and/or post comments. After that, the GUI resumes in Step 130.When a user chooses to wait in Step 156, the survey process ispostponed. The delayed process may resume automatically or get restartedby user's instruction. Once a survey session returns, it may begin fromStep 124 and continue as the diagram describes.

Returning to the previous interface or GUI before survey session mayalso mean Step 132, the end of survey. However every now and then inreal life, users may want to take part in a skipped survey, adjust theirsubmitted survey answers, add a comment, or rewrite a posted essay. Tosatisfy such demands, a client system may provide an option orapplication which allows a user to redo a survey or take a surveysession which was missed in the past. In Step 134, a user may decidewhether or not to go back to a survey. Going back means returning toStep 124 with a GUI displaying a single-action survey window, wherethere are options for single-action and regular surveys. Referring toFIG. 1, in order to resume a survey, client 80 may send to server 82 arequest, plus customer's user ID and case ID. Server 82 may verify theID information based on the data stored at log database 20, locatecorresponding survey result at database 12 according to the ID info, andthen send instructions and data to client 80. Once the user redoes thesurvey, results are transmitted to server 82. Then database 20 and 12are updated using the new results. It may be designed such that a usermay change survey results multiple times within a certain time frame.

FIGS. 7-A and 7-B show exemplarily two diagrams of one embodiment. InFIG. 7-A, a client system 50 may be a mobile phone equipped with akeypad 52 and a display 48. Display 48 may not have a touch-sensitivescreen, i.e., the display is for showing information and graphicalobjects only. In the figure, display 48 features a title “Single-ActionSurvey” and a survey subject “Satisfied?” at the end of an event. Inreal applications, the title may show store or event name to identify asurvey target. In this design, the three answers “Yes”, “No”, and“So-So” cannot be selected either by touching or clicking. Instead, asurvey answer may be chosen by pushing buttons 42, 44, or 46individually. Again, after single-action selection, display 48 returnsto a previous setting. Therefore, it is still a single-action survey.The survey program may be embedded in a processor system of client 50;alternatively, it may also be installed as a specific application whichmay be downloaded from the Internet. Once a survey is concluded, surveyrelated information may be transmitted by the client processor to alocal device, which then forwards it to a local or remote surveydatabase, or to a remote database directly via communication networks.

FIG. 7-B depicts schematically another scenario of the embodiment. If noaction is received within a given period of time after the survey windowshows up, the survey question may be changed to “Do Survey?”. Buttons42, 44, and 46 now represent Yes, Wait, and No respectively. Answer“Yes” implies a user would like to do the survey, and then the originalsurvey window may return; “No” means a user doesn't want to do it, andthus the window resume the previous setting; and “Wait” means a userneeds more time before starting a survey. If a certain period of timeelapses without receiving any action from a user, the survey process mayend automatically and the GUI in FIG. 7-B may go back to the previousconfiguration.

FIG. 8 is a graphic illustration of yet another embodiment in accordancewith the present invention. A client system 66 may represent asmartphone, tablet computer, laptop computer, or desktop computer. Asurvey window 64 may show up after a purchase which is titled“Single-Action Survey on Ace Drugs”. The window only takes part of adisplay surface 54 with file and program icons in the background.Surface 54 may be touch-sensitive. Graphic objects 56, 58, or 60, as thethree answers of single-action survey, may be selected by a mouse click,a finger tap, or another simple and easy action. Alternatively, a usermay choose to take a regular survey by clicking or tapping object 62.The survey process and client device functions may be similar to thoseintroduced in the flow diagrams of FIGS. 5 and 6. In addition, a usermay click or tap graphic button 94, 96, or 98 to keep window 64 stayinglonger for certain time, shrink the window, or close it respectively.

A survey implemented immediately after an event makes it natural andrelevant. But some surveys are desirable before an event happens.Examples of this type include survey on social or political issuesbefore election, product surveys before release, surveys on futuretrends, and so on. Thus for certain subjects, a survey request may bepresented to users before an event takes place. A surveyee may berandomly chosen in some cases, when there is no exact information aboutwho is more relevant to an event. Starting time of some surveys may alsobe randomly arranged within a time frame. In such cases, the firstsurvey step may be to create a survey window or start it audibly whenthere is no display in a client system. FIG. 9 illustrates schematicallya flow diagram of one embodiment for such circumstances. Steps 136, 138,158, 140, 142, and 144 exemplarily depict a survey process involvingsingle-action survey and regular survey, which may be similar to thatshown in FIG. 5 except the start part. Thus the client processor systemand other components here may have similar configurations and functionsto the aforementioned for other embodiments discussed. In Step 136, asurvey gets started with displaying a survey window. A user may decideto do it or not in Step 138. If the invitation is rejected, the surveywindow closes in Step 144. If the user agrees to participate in it, heor she may want to wait for some time in Step 158, or go directly toStep 140, where the next decision is whether to do single-action survey.Choosing single-action survey means Step 144 after performing oneaction. Otherwise, a regular survey begins in Step 142 before the end ofthe process.

FIG. 10 shows an illustration of one embodiment of single-action surveyregarding the scenario of FIG. 9. A browser component of a client system68 may display online contents on a GUI or display surface 72. Aspre-scheduled, a single-action survey window 70 appears. The popped upwindow may be arranged so that its appearance doesn't affect the view ofonline contents if possible. The survey window may temporarily take anempty space or ad space on surface 72. After a single-action selectionis taken, the survey window may close, and previous contents or newcontents may show up. As in aforementioned cases, wait, shrink, andclose functions may be arranged using buttons 93, 95, and 97. If noaction is detected in a given period of time, which may be sufficientlyshort, survey window 70 may close by itself. Client 68 may be a smartphone, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or other electronicgadgets or computing devices. The embodiments of FIGS. 9 and 10 may beuseful for collecting opinions on a popular event or phenomenon, certaingovernmental policy, or any other issues involving the general public ora community.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary diagram of yet another embodiment inaccordance with the present invention. A client system 78 may include aspeaker component 74 and a microphone component 76. Speaker 74 may starta survey by producing an audible question regarding an event, like “Areyou satisfied with Ace Drugs?” after a transaction is completed. A usermay speak to microphone 76, for instance, “Yes”, “No”, or “So-So”, as ananswer. Depending on the system configuration, other words may also beused as a survey answer, such as “Excellent”, “Good”, “Very good”, “Notbad”, “Bad”, and so on. The one-word or short-sentence speech may beconsidered as a single-action reply, which causes ending of the survey.The user may also say “Wait” to get extra time before releasing surveyanswer. As in other embodiments, a survey may end if no eligible audiblereply is detected. At the end of a survey, client 78 may resume itsprevious operation status or return to a predetermined setting.Moreover, client 78 may be configured such that if a user answers“Regular survey”, a survey with multiple questions may begin. Thus it isyet another embodiment of single-action survey which has an option to doregular survey. However, unlike aforementioned cases, client 78 may notneed a display, because a survey may be carried out audibly throughexchange of sound and voice. Client 78 may be an electronic device whichhas a processor system, machine readable memory medium, storedexecutable instructions (e.g., programs and applications) like client 80of FIG. 1. Because display is not involved, Client 78 may eliminate abulky display component as well as graphic processing related softwareand hardware. Client 78 may even eliminate mobile phone components, ifwireless vocal communication is not in need. The client system may havefunctions which include starting a survey at the end of a target eventor after receiving an instruction, concluding a survey when receiving asingle-action or getting no action, and resuming client's previousoperation setting after a survey. Like client 80, the client system maycarry out wired and/or wireless data communication with a local orremote device, and may also do other tasks like electronic paymenttransactions which may be desirable by shoppers, besides its speechrecognition and voice generation capability. Client 78 may be supportedby embedded programs and/or installed applications. Since there is nodisplay, client 78 may be made substantially small in size and economicin cost for various mobile and/or disposable uses. For example, theprocessor system and other components of client 78 may be integratedinto a few chips or even one chip, potentially suitable for massproduction using semiconductor fabrication technologies.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of one embodiment which provides flexibilityand additional convenience for single-action response in a survey. Backto FIG. 3, a single-action voting may be performed by tapping button 28,30 or 32 with a finger when display surface 36 is touch sensitive. Inthe process, a user has to make sure his or her finger tip aims at theright place or object, which may be burdensome when the user is on therun. As surface 36 is sensitive to touches, a contact detection modulemay be incorporated with client 10 that may detect not only a singletouch or multiple touches, but also finger movement and trajectory onsurface 36. As well known in the art, contact detection technologies mayinclude capacitive, resistive, infrared, optical, surface acoustic wave,proximity sensing methods, etc. A proximity sensor array may also beemployed to detect gestures of a finger or fingers above a screensurface. Returning to FIG. 12, the embodiment is still illustrated byclient 10 with the same configuration as in FIG. 3. Assume client 10 isnow equipped with contact sensing technologies and is able to detectfinger touch, finger gesture, trajectory, or finger motion on surface36. For example, when a check mark 86 is created by a hand 84 on thescreen, client 10 may sense that a check-mark shaped object is drawnthrough suitable algorithms. Thus a user may set up a program or installan application which may recognize certain finger movements or gesturesand take them as yes, no, or so-so respectively. For instance, ascribble making a check mark on surface 36 may be designated as yes (asshown in FIG. 12), a cross as no, a straight stroke as so-so, and acircle as wait (the latter three are not shown for simplicity reasons).Thus a user may finish a survey session by a quick scribble on thescreen, which may be done easily and fast without paying much attentionto the location his or her finger lands on over there. Therefore asingle-action survey may become more convenient and more likely to beaccepted.

FIG. 13 shows a schematic flow diagram which is a modification of theembodiment depicted in FIG. 5. The main change is reflected by an addedStep 160, a wait process, which may be used to delay Step 110, startinga single-action survey. The wait is desirable for certain applications.For instance, after an event ends, some users may not be ready to gothrough a survey. When in a shopping mall, a user may be busy with hisor her shopping agenda or have hands full; or when purchasing a productat a store, a user may make a payment without taking out a smartphone.In the latter case, as the phone may be inside a pocket or bag, it isinconvenient and impractical to begin a survey which may rely on a phonescreen. Thus, a survey session better be arranged to show up at a latertime. The delay length may be determined by users on a category bycategory basis. To illustrate this change, Step 160 is inserted betweenStep 108 and 110, as depicted graphically in FIG. 13. Step 160 meansthere is a time delay before Step 110 takes place, or a survey windowmay occur at a predetermined time after an event is completed. Thisdelay function may be applied to other embodiments discussed in theabove. Once Step 110 gets started, the process may run through Step 112,117, 118, and maybe through Step 162, 114, or 116 as well, which is thesame as the process illustrated in FIG. 5 and discussed accordingly.

Moreover, after an event, a single-action survey window may appeareither on a device which a user uses or carries in the event, or on adevice located at home or office. The place and timing of survey windowappearance may be decided by a user in advance. For instance, a surveywindow may be arranged on a home computer or office computer, so that auser may complete it after things are settled down. Doing survey at homemay be especially preferred by users busy in day time, even though asurvey requires only a single action.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

Thus it can be seen that systems and methods are introduced to generateimproved surveys.

The improved survey has the following features and advantages:

-   -   (1). Only a single action is needed;    -   (2). A single action may include one touch, tap, stroke, click,        motion, sound, and other simple one-step moves;    -   (3). A single-action survey may be arranged flexibly within a        time frame around or after event time.

Although the description above contains many specificities, these shouldnot be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merelyproviding illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments.Numerous modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

RAMIFICATIONS

Speech recognition and voice generation functions introduced in FIG. 11may be incorporated with other embodiments involving finger moves totake advantage of both audio style and touch screen methods. Forexample, a survey may start with a voice (like “Are you satisfied withAce Drugs?”) and end with a scribbled check mark on a screen, or startwith a survey window on a screen and end with a vocal reply “Yes”, “No”,“So-So”, or “Wait”. Or a user may switch between audio mode and screenmode depending on different occasions.

Referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, more finger movements maybe utilized to signal single-action answers. For example, tapping usingone finger, two fingers, or three fingers may represent three answersyes, no, or so-so; or touching or tapping on upper, middle and lowersection of the screen may reflect the three answers respectively.Besides maneuvers by fingers, as known in the art, movement of hand on atouch screen may also be sensed and thus may be utilized as asingle-action response. For example, a single action may be a touch,tap, or slide by hand.

Furthermore, a motion sensing component such as accelerometer and/orgyroscope may be added to a client system which senses motion of theclient device. For example, shaking or waving a mobile phone in verticaldirection, horizontal direction, or in circle may respectively representthe three answers of single-action survey.

For mobile phone users, the launch of a survey may feature flashes oflight from an embedded light emitting module, so that a user may notneed to look at the screen closely to know a survey has started after atarget event is over. This feature, when combined with other easy steps,makes a survey even more convenient. Flashing lights may also be used toremind a user of that a survey is in wait period.

The process described in the flow diagram of FIG. 13 is also applicablewhen a user makes payment using credit card at a store. Assume a cellphone or home computer is registered with the credit card. Then, asurvey window may be configured to show up on the phone screen orcomputer monitor afterwards. When and where a survey window appears maybe set up by a user.

In FIGS. 2, 5, 6, and 13, the first step may also represent thebeginning of an occasion, particularly in cases where multiple surveysare arranged for a big event which may contain several sessions, likeconcert, ball game, cruise, etc. When a survey starts at an early stage,survey results cover feedback up to that point, thus producing moredetails.

Lastly, when a device is equipped with proximity sensor orthree-dimensional (3-D) gesture sensor, it may detect finger or handposition at a short distance away from it. Thus finger and hand gestureand movement in the air may be used to complete a single action survey,too. Examples may include a check mark, circle, and straight line forthe three answers created by finger or hand in the air, preferably closeto a screen of the device.

Therefore the scope of the invention should be determined by theappended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examplesgiven.

1. A system having a display and stored executable instructions,comprising: 1) connection component for connecting said system to anelectronic device or a communication network; 2) survey means forgenerating a survey window on said display for conducting a survey; 3)said window configured for receiving a single action for said survey; 4)said system arranged such that said single action causes selection ofone of a plurality of predetermined options, said options comprising aplurality of predetermined messages, said system configured such thatreceiving one of said messages via said system causes closing of saidwindow; 5) said plurality of options comprising keeping said window fora selected period of time and/or shrinking said window; and 6)transmission component for transmitting the survey related informationto a survey database via said device or said network.
 2. The systemaccording to claim 1 wherein said survey window closes automaticallyafter a predetermined period of time in the absence of said singleaction.
 3. The system according to claim 1 wherein said survey isarranged within a predetermined period of time after an event ends orstarts.
 4. The system according to claim 1, further including anexecutable application or program for resuming said survey within adefined period of time after said survey is closed.
 5. The systemaccording to claim 1 wherein one of said options includes performing aregular survey comprising a plurality of survey questions.
 6. Anelectronic apparatus having stored executable instructions,comprising: 1) connection component for connecting said apparatus to anelectronic device or a communication network; 2) survey component forstarting a survey session from a first session; 3) receiving componentfor receiving a single action performed by a user; 4) said apparatusarranged such that said single action causes selection of one of aplurality of predetermined options, said options comprising a pluralityof predetermined messages, said options comprising holding said surveysession for a given period of time; 5) closing means for ending saidsurvey session after any of said messages is received via saidapparatus; 6) resuming means for resuming said first session or startinga second session; and 7) transmission component for transmitting thesurvey related information to a survey database via said device or saidnetwork.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said surveysession ends automatically in a substantially short period of time inthe absence of said single action.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 6wherein said survey session is arranged within a predetermined period oftime after an event ends or starts.
 9. The apparatus according to claim6, further including an executable application or program for resumingsaid survey session after it is closed.
 10. The apparatus according toclaim 6 wherein one of said options includes performing another surveycomprising a plurality of survey questions.
 11. A method performed forconducting a survey comprising: 1) providing a first electronic devicehaving a display and stored executable instructions; 2) generating asurvey window on said display for said survey; 3) said survey windowconfigured for receiving a single action from a user for said survey; 4)said method arranged such that said single action causes selection ofone of a plurality of predetermined options, said options comprising aplurality of predetermined messages, said options comprising keepingsaid survey window for a given period of time or shrinking said surveywindow; 5) said method configured such that receiving any one of saidmessages via said first device causes closing of said survey window; and6) transmitting the survey related information to a survey database viaa second electronic device or a communication network.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 11, further including closing said survey windowautomatically in a substantially short period of time in the absence ofsaid single action.
 13. The method m according to claim 11 wherein saidsurvey window is generated within a predetermined period of time afteran event starts or ends.
 14. The method according to claim 11, furtherincluding resuming said survey within a defined period of time aftersaid survey window is closed or after said survey window is shrunk. 15.The method according to claim 11 wherein one of said options includesperforming another survey comprising a plurality of survey questions.